standing on the shoulders of giants - grandpa jack

recently, we shared the life and military service of "grandpa jack" with the kids.  John (Jack) Paul Parry is Jack's namesake and he often asks about the man he's named after.  i told them about his cheesy jokes about the name jack.  one of my favorites was, 'hi jack - whoops, can't say that one in the airport!'  we told them how jack lived a very healthy life - playing 18 holes of golf at age 90 and going into the office to see clients into his late 80s.  and how he was always generous with his money - giving every grandchild a fun christmas bonus.  dave remembers him being at as many of his sporting events as possible.  in his honor, there was a family softball team for the idaho falls league named 'jack's pack' in which every member wore tie dye as jerseys. And we watched 'Echo' - a family made DVD saluting his service during WWII.  and the paper weight that sat on their coffee table for years now sits on our desktop as a reminder of him.

Below is his obituary:

John (Jack) Paul Parry, 91, of Idaho Falls, passed away July 31, 2015 at Lincoln Court Retirement Center surrounded by his family.

Jack was born July 20,1924 in Malad, Idaho, to Paul and Mary Mildred Parry. He was raised in Malad with two sisters and two brothers. He graduated from Malad High School in 1942. Jack was a hard-working man his whole life. He worked from the time he was a small boy cleaning chicken coops for 10 cents a day. He loved all sports and played football, baseball, basketball and even pole vaulted with a bamboo pole in High School. At 17 he left home and moved to Salt Lake taking a job as an apprentice for the Railroad. It was here that he met his future wife who happened to be a roommate with his cousin. Vadis Parry introduced Jack to Lois Lovell, of Ririe, Idaho, and they were married on March 28,1943. They were sealed in the Idaho Falls Temple on March 28,1946.

Two months after they were married, Jack was drafted into the army and served heroically until the end the war. Their first child, Renne Sue, was born during this time. Five more children were born to this union, Harriett, Kristine, John, Jackie and Steven. During WWII, Jack was a member of the Army's Rainbow Division which participated in the liberation of Dachau prison camp. He received the Bronze Star for an incredible act of courage to save a fellow soldier under fire. Jack stayed silent about his war experience for decades, until he began hearing public denials of the holocaust.Thereafter, he made numerous public and school presentations regarding the war, and considered it his sacred duty to bear witness of the atrocities of the holocaust.

After the war, Jack returned to BYU. He became a CPA and held the oldest active license in Idaho at the age of 90.

Jack was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many capacities in the Church. He especially loved the young men and spent many hours coaching and mentoring them. He was a friend to all-whether he knew them or not. In 1990, Jack and Lois served a church mission to Anaheim, California. He was a long-time member of the Idaho Falls Kiwanis Club and served a term as president.

Jack was his children's and grandchildren's greatest fan. He attended countless sporting events and even played with them on a coed softball team for several years. This team (Jack's Pack) is still going strong and has several of his grandchildren and great grandchildren playing on it. He didn't miss a game and attended his last game a week before his death.

Jack was preceded in death by Lois, his eternal companion of 71 years, his parents, his three beautiful daughters: Renne Sue Roe, Harriett Millburn and Kristine Powell, his son-in-law Chuck Roe, his two brothers Warren and Bill Parry, and his sister LaDean Dixon.

Jack is survived by his two sons, John D (Renee) Parry and Steven (Sharon) Parry, his daughter Jackie (Mark) Fuller, the three grandchildren he helped raise, Terry (Debie) Roe, Tammi (Frank) Hopkins, Rozie (Brad) Couch, two sons-in-law Ron Millburn and Glade Powell, his sister Barbara (Bud) Olson, 25 additional grandchildren, seventy-one great grandchildren and nine great-great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, August 8, 2015 at the LDS Virlow Chapel, 2349 Virlow, Idaho Falls.The family will visit with friends and family from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Friday and 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Saturday, both at the Virlow Church Building. Burial will be in the Ririe/Shelton Cemetery with military rites performed by the Bonneville County Veterans Team and Idaho Honor Guard. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Idaho Falls Humanitarian Center, 3270 E. 17th St. #240, Ammon, ID 83406.

yellowstone in a day

on our drive to idaho falls this year, dave and i realized the proximity with which grandma lives to yellowstone national park.  never before had we thought of it but immediately and impulsively, we decided that this was THE trip to take advantage of the opportunity.  we made it a day trip and it was wonderful - we saw moose on the side of the road, the kids passed certification as junior rangers, and we wondered in awe at old faithful and the prismatic pools.

 

on this trip, we also visited BYU I (somewhat like last summer's indoctrination trip  http://stoverstreetfam.blogspot.com/2015/09/indoctrination.html), reunited kindin and her kindergarten bestie as second generation friends (see nostalgic pic at http://stoverstreetfam.blogspot.com/2010/12/random-musings-from-hustle-bustle-mind.html) spent time at the lake, and treasured time with family and cousins.

all about me

at the beginning of every school year, elementary teachers ask for copious amounts of information. while I don't enjoy filling them out, i do specifically love the 'all about me' worksheets. It's the perfect opportunity to ponder where each of them are. and because they serve as a perfect window into who they are right now, i've included my answers here:


DALIA:

what does your child like to do at home? plays moms to her dolls or veterinarian to her pets, dancing/ singing/ performing, playdates with friends, likes fashion

is your child part of any extracurricular activities? no, i don't allow extracurrciulars for the kindergarten year- i want them to know that school is their first and most important responsibility

what is your child most interested in? she likes to cook with mom- more so than any child i've known

what kind of rewards/ reinforcements does your child respond best to? dalia likes words of affirmation and enjoys being perceived as a big kid. she takes pride in being a helper and expert.

waht are your main areas of concern for your child? i think she will do well academically. we are working to calm her sometimes bossy tone.

what are your goals for your child this year? identify an area of interest at school and feel confident, practice independence, and enjoy making friends

what else should i know about her? dalia wants life to be fun. she is brave and adventurous and chatty too. it'd be helpful for you to know that she gets extremely uncomfortable with embarrassing situations (i.e. injury, hurt feelings) and she prefers it to be unnoticed rather than fussed over.


JACK:

my child loves: to wrestle and rough house, play stratego and checkers, science, learning about animals and geography, and video games.

in his free time, my child usually: plays legos, visits neighborhood friends, begs for screen time

my child reads books such as these on his own: i survived series, diary of a whimpy kid, captain underpants, james patterson books

my child has these special abilities and talents: sports and agility, likeable and charismatic, telling jokes, was the class expert on the ipad last year, flexibility - he is very easy going

special concerns i have about him are: last year, we discovered he has test anxiety, be patient with absences as we are in the middle of assessment for adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy, as discussed before, his handwriting and artwork can be sloppy and i'd like a teacher to reinforce corrections as needed.


KINDIN:

What is Kindin like? She's sweet, sensitive to the needs of others, and intuitive.

Are there special considerations that would be important to share? Kindin has been tested a couple of times for HAL but always falls right below the line. My concern is not about HAL programming but rather there are times she's bored in school and I'd like that monitored in order to provide further learning opportunities as needed.

What are Kindin's interests? Kindin is a fantastic swimmer, she enjoys gymnastics as well, she loves time with friends, she gets bored of screen time, she taught herself how to play the piano, and she reads often (without being compelled).

How is Kindin as a learner and an individual? I think Kindin is a golden student: she is self-motivated, organized, careful and corrective with her work, goal-oriented, and a quick learner. She genuinely enjoys school and wants to be a teacher someday. At home, she is the oldest and behaves as such - she is a good example to her siblings, helps around the house when she sees a need, and prefers conversation with her parents over play. I believe she is liked by most of her peers. Kindin's best traits can be weaknesses too: she can be a worrier, she wants the approval of others and too often seeks permission, and she can be a little risk averse as well.

How does Kindin think and play? She's ALWAYS thinking! Kindin is playful by being silly and chatty. She enjoys word searches, board games, and crafts during her free time - I don't think she's picked up a toy since age 4.

mortal lifesavers

a wise friend recently quipped, a woman needs her husband to make it to the celestial kingdom, but she needs her girlfriends to make it through life.  and i feel blessed to have some of the best lifesavers!

katie, marinda and julie (from my former laveen life) came for an omaha visit! i enjoyed showing off my home (despite morbid humidity) and i absolutely adored giggling all day and night together... but i was especially glad that the years of separation haven't changed us.  they remain some of my dearest confidants and most trusted advisers. 

and then there's my local lifesavers...

we recently treated ourselves to a long weekend at the lakehouse - and it was absolutely the perfect way to refuel!